1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a self moistening composition for inactivating toxic substances and to its method of application. Specifically, this invention pertains to a finely powdered composition containing a mixture of a hygroscopic compound capable of absorbing sufficient water from the atmosphere to self-dissolve and a compound capable of interacting and deactivating toxic substances such as herbicides, insecticides, and CBW agents.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Modern society generates many toxic substances such as insecticides, bacterial metabolites, dioxins, PCBs and the like. Although low levels of these toxic substances can be disposed of by natural processes, excess concentrations of these substances cause severe hazards to both animal and plant life. Included in these toxic substances are chemical and biological warfare agents (CBW) which could be used purposely to harm and destroy both animal and plant life. To protect life, it is necessary to deactivate these toxic substances.
The detoxification processes now in use have included diluting the toxic substance, removing the toxic substance, and chemically altering the toxic substance, so that it is innocuous to biological systems. The first two approaches do not eliminate the toxic threat, but merely lessen its threat or move the potential impact of the toxin to another location. The third approach, inactivating the toxic substance, is an ultimate solution.
From ancient to modern times, toxic wastes and substances were disposed of by scattering the substances into the environment such as by dumping the material onto ground dumps, into sanitary land fills, or into rivers which ultimately carried the toxic substances to the ocean. It was hoped that time and natural processes would degrade or deactivate the toxic material. In modern times, particularly through an accident or hostile event, the volume of toxic substances often far exceeds the capability of the natural environmental processes to break down the toxic substances. In addition, toxic materials, such as dioxins and PCBs are, to a great extent, unreactive and cannot be broken down efficiently by natural processes. It is necessary to have other means to deactivate such resistant toxic material.
Waste treatment processes are designed to chemically alter the molecular structures of toxic substances, rendering the toxic substances, and whatever substrate it is on, less harmful prior to further processing and ultimate disposal. If the toxic substance is in a readily handled form, such as a bulk halogenated hydrocarbon solvent, the toxic waste could be incinerated.
However, there are many situations which do not lend themselves to a deactivation of the toxic substance by incineration. These situations include instances, such as chemical spills resulting from the use of herbicides, insecticides, and other biocides, railroad accidents, or electrical transformer accidents which can release large quantities of toxins into the soil. Other situations can cause contamination of valuable buildings or equipment which do not lend themselves to cleansing by incineration. In such situations, inactivation of the toxic substance could benefit from a reaction which would utilize a strong oxidizing reagent, such hydrogen peroxide, ozone or hypochlorite ion to alter the chemical structure of the toxic substance on a valuable surface. However, such treatments often require large quantities of water to assist in the inactivation reaction and to flush away the reaction products.
In U.S. Statutory Invention Registration No. H366, Seiders describes the use of microemulsions containing sulfolanes to inactivate organophosphorus substances. Seiders requires a relatively large amount of either sea water, brackish water, or sweet water to assist the reaction. However, water is not always readily available in the large quantities necessary for these type of inactivation reactions.